The UK is on course to record its warmest summer ever, and Prime Minister Andy Burnham is under growing pressure to call a COBRA meeting over the drought affecting the country. Despite Britain experiencing its fifth heatwave this year, Mr Burnham has not publicly discussed the extreme heat gripping the nation.
Officials have issued an amber warning for extreme heat for Thursday, with parts of England facing temperatures of up to 38C. The alert covers London and parts of the South East, East Midlands, East of England, West Midlands, and South Yorkshire from 9am to midnight.
Farmers warn of food shortages
Farmers have warned of food shortages, with three quarters of England in drought. Fire chiefs have also warned of a sustained fire risk in the hot, dry conditions, with July the busiest on record for wildfires. Firefighters responded to 185 wildfires in the first 10 days of August.
Liberal Democrat rural affairs spokeswoman Sarah Dyke MP said: "Wildfires and drought have devastated treasured landscapes across the country, communities are heading into another week of widespread water shortages, and farmers are buckling as their livelihoods are yet again put at risk. There must be a serious response from Andy Burnham to match the scale of the situation, starting with an emergency COBRA meeting."
Calls for urgent action
Max Anderson, head of communications at the Conservative Environment Network, said: "It’s time for Andy Burnham to start acting like the Prime Minister. Across the country, drought is threatening farmers’ livelihoods, putting people’s health at risk, and undermining our food security. It’s time for him to call an urgent COBRA meeting to fix water shortages facing farmers and consumers."
He added: "Climate change means that the threats to our water security will accelerate. For the sake of our farmers’ livelihoods, our nation’s health, and our food security, Britain must change course. And that starts with Andy Burnham proving he can take urgent and decisive action to make sure we are not facing the same fate next summer."
Record-breaking summer likely
Met Office senior scientist Mike Kendon said: "Another record-breaking summer now looks increasingly likely for the UK, following the second-warmest June, and second-warmest July on record and yet another heatwave imminent."
He noted that temperatures have hit 38C in June, 35C in early and late July, and this threshold is likely to be reached again in the coming days. He added: "It’s worth remembering we also reached 35C in late May and easily exceeded both the May and June previous all-time temperature records this year. These statistics are a clear reminder – if one were needed – of the stark changes that we are seeing in the UK’s climate."
